A’s crush Astros, Josh Donaldson homers twice

Oakland entered a four-game series at Minute Maid Park in the team’s first losing streak of the season, swept by the Rangers in Oakland earlier in the week. The A’s personal punching bags, though, obliged in their usual kind on Thursday Oakland clobbered the Astros 10-1, getting two homers from Josh Donaldson – his first-ever multi-homer game – and one from Alberto Callaspo.

Donaldson said he told reliever Ryan Cook that he would hit three homers on Thursday. “I fell a little short,” he said. “That was just kind of in fun, but it was nice have a good day especially after the last three days.”

Oakland, at 14-8, is off to the team’s best start since 1992 and the A’s moved into a first-place tie with Texas.

The A’s have won all four of their games against Houston this year, by a combined score of 29-8. They’re 24-5 all-time against Houston, the best record by any major-league team against an opponent faced a minimum of 20 times.

There were some remaining sparks from a little flareup during the teams’ matchup in Oakland a week before, when the A’s jumped out 7-0, and Jed Lowrie put down a bunt against the shift in the first inning. Paul Clemens threw at Lowrie’s legs his next time up, and missed. Thursday night, Clemens drilled Lowrie in the back of his leg in the seventh inning and immediately was ejected.

“It’s flat-out embarrassing, there’s no other way to say it,” Lowrie said. “That kind of conduct shouldn’t be condoned.”

Clemens said he was just trying to go inside because Lowrie is swinging a hot bat, and he denied any intent. “There was no carryover on my end. What happened in Oakland was squashed in Oakland,” he said. “Bad pitch there.”

Lowrie said he had no doubt there was intent, especially on the first pitch after doubling off Clemens his previous at-bat. He said he thinks the league might want to look into a suspension.

“It’s pretty obvious he threw at me on purpose for the third time in two games,” Lowrie said.

The next batter, Donaldson, rocketed a pitch off the back wall in left, out of the park.

“I love it,” Lowrie said.

Lowrie didn’t absolve Astros manager Bo Porter of blame, saying “At the end of the day, the buck stops with him. … He’s responsible for his players’ conduct.”

Porter said exactly what he did last week: ‘I think the game of baseball takes care of itself,” adding, “George Springer got hit tonight, and it’s part of the game.”

Donaldson’s first drive of the night, off left-hander Brett Olberholtzer, was a two-run shot that nearly caromed off the Minute Maid orange train, parked on the top of the wall in left. Donaldson’s six homers put him among the league leaders. He also doubled and scored in the third.

Lowrie, the onetime Astros shortstop, had three hits, including two doubles, and Craig Gentry reached in each of his first four plate appearances and the Astros made four errors in those plate appearances – three on balls put in play, plus one catcher’s interference. Houston made a team-high five errors in all.

Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes left with a left hamstring strain in the seventh and is expected to miss a few games, manager Bob Melvin said. Hamstrings can be tricky, so it’s likely the A’s will be extra cautious with Cespedes.

Oakland starter Scott Kazmir was not at his best, and the Astros’ lone run came on a bases-loaded walk in the first; Kazmir hadn’t walked a single batter in three of his four previous starts. He said he was probably rushing a bit.

And yet pitching in his hometown in front of about 40 friends and family members, Kazmir improved to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.62 with his six innings of work. He’s allowed no more than one run in 11 of his past 23 starts dating back to June 23. He’s 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA since Sept. 28.